One Shot Collection
by JayDog75
Summary: A collection of one-shot stories inspired by Darkest Before The Dawn and other works. Most are deleted scenes that did not appear in the original, but there will be some other goodies here too. As a suggestion, I would read DBTD first before checking these out. Rated M as there will be some rough language and some implied activities as well.
1. DBTD Cut Scene 1 - The Debrief

Welcome to the One Shots! The first six or seven will be directly inspired by _Darkest Before The Dawn_ , so I highly suggest reading that before tackling these as it may help make these make a lot more sense. I will be helpful in that regard and tag those with a "DBTD Cut Scene" tag as these are things that didn't make the cut of the original story or I decided to back fill in after the fact. However, there will be other One Shots here as well that will reside independently of the works I have going on.

Feel free to leave me a note and let me know how things are with the stories. Feedback does an author good.

Once again, Robotech is property of Harmony Gold. It's their world, I've just borrowed it for a while.

* * *

 **DBTD Cut Scene One – The Debrief**

 _ **A/N**_ _– This scene takes place right after the end of Chapter One. In retrospect, I probably should have added this one in to the original story as it does give some insight as to how Colonel Leonard ticks._

* * *

As Rick exited the locker rooms and sat in the Skull Squadron lounge area, he found himself shaking his head and dreading was was to come next. _Great,_ he thought. _Sounds like while the Admiral and Lisa are on the horn with Monument about New Detroit, the Ol' Meatgrinder can go ahead and throw his weight around a bit._

Waiting for a few minutes, he saw the other three pilots that were with him on the patrol, he began to put his plans together on how to handle the coming debrief. Turning to the three younger pilots, Rick had a very concerned look on his face. The concerned look was mirrored by Malikowski and Niebauer. Baker, to his credit, had a bemused expression on his face. This in turn concerned Rick more. _I'd better just lay it out on the line lest Baker decide to say something that'll set Leonard off,_ he thought. _Then again, looking at him cross-eyed some days is more than enough to get Anatole going._

Nodding to the others, Rick stood up.

"Here's what's about to happen when we get upstairs. Colonel Leonard is going to probably try to intimidate you guys. Just answer any direct question to the best of your ability, but leave any other talking to me. Getting cute up there will get you in a world of trouble."

Amelia stepped forward with an even more concerned look. "Boss, are we in any sort of trouble? I mean, that wasn't exactly the outcome we wanted and all."

Rick shook his head. "You guys shouldn't get any heat for anything. If anything does come up, I'll get the brunt of it. The fun of being a superior officer."

He then turned towards Baker. "And, I mean nobody says a word unless spoken to, you got that?"

Baker nodded as he had a distinct feeling Rick was directed this comment at him. "Loud and clear, Boss."

Rick glanced at the clock on the wall. Nodding to the others, they rose and started to make their way towards the upcoming debrief.

* * *

The conference room in the wing of Macross Command that the RDF Ground Forces called home was about the same as any other on the base. A round table with ample seating, a bank of terminals, and a large viewscreen dominated the décor. Inside of the room, a solitary man sat at one of the spots at the head of the table, looking over some documents.

"Of all the botched ops," Colonel Anatole Leonard muttered to himself. "Hunter had to pull something like this." Leonard was a heavier set man with dark hair that was starting to show some gray and white at his temples. He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a cigarette. Lighting it and taking a long drag, he could feel his anger rising at the early After Action Report that had been sent to him for the debrief, with it focusing in on Rick. _Why Henry thinks you're worthy of leading the air wing is beyond me,_ he thought. _You're about a year removed from being breast fed, now you're the damn CAG for this base? Wilcox would have been a much better choice. Man's paid his dues. At least he wouldn't have gotten there by screwing the Admiral's XO if the rumors are true. As for that, I'd have busted her to a desk job just for the fraternization issue alone. But, she's another of Henry's pets._

The door slid open at this point as Rick and the others walked on in. Saluting quickly as per protocol, Leonard barely looked up as he returned his salute.

"Sit down, all of you," he said gruffly. As soon as Leonard saw all four pilots were at their seats, he stood up, stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray nearby and looked directly at all four. He turned his back for a second as he prepared what he was about to say. Noting that the door had closed, Leonard turned around and shot all four a harsh stare.

"Hunter, what in the hell were you thinking? You let a perfectly good matrix undefended and let that _ublyudok_ Khyron make off with it? If I had my way, I'd court martial you right now and make sure these three whelps you have here get transferred over to the freighter wing."

Rick bristled at the attack. He stood up and glared right back at the Colonel. "With all due respect, Colonel," adding a bit of acidity to Leonard's title. "Four versus a thousand wasn't exactly the greatest of odds. Plus, they were civilians, you know? The one's we kinda swore to protect."

Leonard scowled. "Civilians or not, they interfered with an RDF operation."

"We just happened to be in the area on a patrol. There was no operation that I was aware of. Someone phoned in that there just happened to be a matrix in New Detroit. The four of us just happened to be the closest ones there."

Leonard shuffled the papers in front of him and continued. "So who was this lone civilian that appeared to talk the mayor out of getting our guys in there? Is there something you're not telling me? Remember, Hunter, withholding information is a court-martial offense."

Rick smiled. "It was someone who I had never seen before in my life, sir. Just some random person that happened to convince the mayor of the city to do something stupid. Besides, I think the mayor needed the votes as it's an election year."

"A random person? You didn't bother getting this person's information? Sloppy work, Hunter."

"Sorry I couldn't ask the guy for ID or anything. I was kind of trying to keep my people alive. Unlike some others in this room, the air wing doesn't treat new recruits as walking, talking meat shields."

Leonard glared at Rick as the shot had its desired effect. "Questioning my tactics? I'll have you know I was winning battles on the field while you weren't even a thought in either of your parents mind. And don't insult me again. That would be.."

"I get it, a court-martial offense," Rick interrupted. Amelia, Baker, and Malikowski looked at each other and were in shock as their commander was pretty much doing everything he had advised them not to do.

Leonard at this point was very close to losing his cool with the CAG of the base. _Flippant little pissant,_ he thought. _One of these days, your mouth is going to get you in a lot of trouble. Henry won't always be there to protect you, Hunter._

Rick tapped a button on his console at the table. "Colonel, let's bring someone else into this. I have Major Pierce from Fort Klinger on the line. He can also shed some light on what happened on our little adventure."

The viewscreen came alive and switched over from an RDF logo to a view of one of the control rooms at Fort Klinger. On the screen was a black haired man in an RDF Ground Forces uniform with the rank insignia of a Major. The man, Major Roger Pierce, saluted quickly as he saw both Rick and Leonard on the screen in front of him.

"Colonel," Pierce stated clearly. "I can tell you for a fact that Commander Hunter did everything he could do on this one. He had contacted us when the mayor first agreed to let us guard the matrix, but he also called us off once the deal was off stating that the ground forces wouldn't be welcome, citing the safety concerns for any RDF forces on the ground and also for the citizens of New Detroit."

"The RDF's concerns should have trumped those of the mayor, Major," Leonard shot back.

"That's a very dangerous slope you're looking to go down," Rick added. "As much as the mayor and the lone civilian were in the wrong for their choice, at the end of the day, there are speech guarantees the last time I checked."

"Also, with the swiftness of the raid by Khyron's forces, there was no way we could have gotten there on time, even after Commander Hunter made the first call. And there's no way four Veritech fighters could have held off the forces that were thrown at the city."

Leonard grumbled a bit, but realized the Major may have some merit with his assessment. What was sticking with Leonard was that it pretty much dove-tailed with what Hunter had said. He turned his attention back to Rick.

"Then what in the hell were you doing out there with these three? You should have had Dixon and the Sterlings with you."

"That wasn't going to happen, Anatole," Rick responded, ignoring Leonard's rank. "First off, there had been no activity in that sector and the new pilots needed some practical experience. Secondly, Dixon was on a separate patrol down around New Birmingham that got a bit squirrelly as he found a nest of Em-Zees that had been causing some issues down south. Also, Lieutenant Commander Sterling was on another patrol around New Kansas City. And lastly, Second Lieutenant Sterling is still on maternity and hasn't been cleared to return to active flight status. You can take that one up with Major Grant and the Med wing. Lord knows I have. And I'd appreciate it that you not insult my pilots."

It was just then that the console in front of Leonard pinged. Angrily tapping the button, an aide came over the intercom.

"Colonel, Admiral Gloval wants you to join him at the main conference room."

"Thank you. Let the Admiral know I'll be right over," Leonard responded. Standing up, he looked over at Rick with a sense of anger. _You win this round, Hunter,_ he thought. _Next time, however, you may regret crossing me. It is something I will not forget._

"It appears, I am needed elsewhere," Leonard stated evenly. The others stood up and saluted, which was returned. Leonard made eye contact with Rick. "You got lucky that Pierce was able to back up your story. Otherwise, it would have ended badly for you. Keep that in mind the next time something like this happens."

"I'll be sure to," Rick responded with a touch of sarcasm mingled in.

Leonard made his way out of the conference room and the door shut. As it did, the four pilots in the room and the Major all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks for hopping in on this one, Rog," Rick stated. "I had a feeling your boss wouldn't listen unless you got involved."

"Sure thing, Rick," Pierce responded. "Here's hoping he didn't get enough of a bug up his ass about me siding with you to transfer me to some hellhole. And I do have to admit, watching you tweak him as much as you did was kind of funny."

"Especially when he told us not to do so," Baker interjected.

"That's why I said not to say a word," Rick said in response to Baker's comment. "Did you have to answer any questions?"

Baker shook his head.

"I prove my point." Turning back to the monitor, Rick saluted quickly. "I think you may have to explain that to the Admiral and Captain Hayes as well."

"I'm expecting the call. Catch you around, Commander. Hopefully the next time you all come to New Toledo, it won't be because some ill-tempered Zent decided to go Godzilla on New Detroit." With that, the screen went black.

Rick and the others rose and made their way out of the room.

* * *

Once back at the Skull Squadron offices, Rick and the three newer pilots decided to go their separate ways. The pilots had decided to make their way over to the mess hall while Rick opted for heading to his office. After stopping in briefly to pick up a few things, he saw a familiar figure standing in the hallway.

"Guessing the patrol was as bad as rumored, Rick?" Max Sterling intoned. The blue haired pilot had just returned from a patrol of his own shortly after Rick's patrol had come back. "I kinda figured something was up when Sammie was the one on TacNet and not Lisa."

"You have no idea how bad it was. Just had a fun talk with Leonard about it."

Max rolled his eyes. "And knowing how much he likes the air wing and you, I can guess how well the chat went."

"Court martial got brought up a few times. He also tried to threaten the three nuggets too. Thankfully I had two things in my favor. One, I got the AAR in when we fueled up at New Toledo. Two, Major Pierce over at Fort Klinger backed me up to the hilt."

Max noticed that Rick was carrying a six-pack of Petite Cola with him. _Got a pretty good idea where you're heading to,_ he thought to himself.

"If anyone is looking for me, I'm out of the office for a bit," Rick stated evenly. "If you need me, I'll be down at the hangar. Just get in touch with Vince."

"Roger that," Max responded. Thinking for a second, something else came to his mind. "Hey Rick, what if Lisa stops by? You usually touch base with her after patrols."

Rick frowned a bit as he thought of that. _Seeing it's like routine, she'll be searching the entire base for me if I don't show up. But after what happened, I really can't face her yet. I don't want to take it out on her._

Clearing his head with a sigh, Rick turned towards Max.

"Max, I leave it in your hands. Handle it as you see fit."

 _That's a bit different,_ Max thought. _Usually, it'd be a yes or no answer. Ambiguity, however, is something that doesn't come up very often._

"Totally understood, Rick," he answered, knowing how exactly he would handle it if Captain Hayes did stop by.

* * *

Baker, Screech, and Amelia all had decided that food was what could make a scary experience like they had just endured be a little more bearable going forward. As the three assembled at an empty table, Baker and Screech turned towards each other and just shook their heads.

"Jeez, that was just about as much fun as the Boss made it out to be," Baker stated.

"That is something I never, and I mean never, want to go through again," Amelia added.

"Ugh, now I know why the Colonel is not very popular around these parts," Screech chimed in. "He's just not a very nice guy."

"Probably didn't get hugged enough as a kid," Baker deadpanned. "Thank God the Boss kept the heat off of us."

"Have to admit that watching the Boss just take his arguments and just shatter them over and over was just too funny," Screech added with a grin.

It was then that Amelia noticed someone walking over, namely Lieutenant Ben Dixon. Thinking the better of it, she stopped talking about the briefing and went about eating lunch.

"At least we're not about to get shipped off to pilot freighters," Baker added with a smile. It was at about this time, he saw Dixon approach. Thinking that it would be smarter to at least stop talking at this point, he started in on his lunch as well and motioned to Screech to stop talking about it.

"True. Although the reaction when the Boss just ripped him apart on his choice of pilots did make me feel a little better. At least we're not just meat shields and all.."

The next thought from Screech was cut off by a loud "AHEM" that emanated from behind him. Turning around, he saw a very grumpy Ben Dixon standing behind him.

"Baker, Malikowski! What the hell are you doing? Debriefs are something you do **not** talk about in public! Especially if it involves a superior officer being made to look foolish. Even if they deserve it, you can't talk about it outside."

"S..s..sorry, sir!" Screech answered. "It'll never happen again."

"You bet your ass it won't! After you two finish up, meet me back at the offices. I expect you to be there in thirty minutes." He looked over at Amelia and smiled, which was returned by the smaller pilot. With that, Ben walked towards the chow line, leaving the three younger pilots there.

Amelia just sat there and shook her head while the other two dreaded what was to happen after lunch ended.

* * *

A few minutes later, Rick was down in the hangar bay walking towards Skull One. Arriving, he climbed up on to the wing and popped open the canopy. He pulled out an MP3 player from his service jacket and connected it to one of the USB ports on the fighter. Rick smiled as the music started coming up. _Kinda nice having an external speaker that can also destroy an entire city block if it wanted to,_ Rick thought as he sat back on the wing. Pulling out one of the cola bottles, he opened it up and took a swig. Lying back, he started to let his mind go over the most recent events in his life and try to see how he could process things going forward.


	2. DBTD Cut Scene 2 - Seal Of Approval

**DBTD Cut Scene Two – Seal Of Approval**

* * *

 _ **A/N –**_ _This one takes place during Chapter 15 right after Skull gets back to Macross Command after Star Saver. More fluff than anything, but gives a bit of insight into other events. It's pretty short and sweet and to the point._

* * *

With recent events still fresh in his head, Rick sat at the desk of his office contemplating what needed to be done next. _This part of the job never gets easier,_ he thought as he reached for his keys. Finding the right key, he inserted it into one of the drawers of his desk and turned. Hearing the click, he slid the drawer open and saw what he was looking for. Inside was a small USB drive with a RDF insignia on it. Picking it up, Rick slid the drive open and attached it to his laptop. Clicking on the drive icon on his computer, he saw the drive open up. On the screen, a list of documents appeared, one for each of the roster of Skull Squadron before Operation Star Saver.

Taking a deep breath, he glanced at a handwritten list he had next to him. He clicked on the first name and a document file opened up.

 _God, I am dreading this,_ he thought as he reviewed the contents of the letter that was drafted on the drive. It was something he had picked up from Roy once he was named the lead for Vermillion Squadron while the SDF-1 was on it's trek back from Pluto. _At least then, I only had two to worry about. Now? Way too many to go over. Such is the price of success, I guess._

* * *

As he was reviewing the letter, Rick heard a sharp knock on his door. Closing the laptop, he got up from the desk and walked over and opened the door. At the door were Lieutenant Ben Dixon and Sergeant Amelia Niebauer. Rick smiled as the two waited to come inside.

"Hi Ben, Amelia. Mind stepping in for a few?"

"Sure thing, Boss," Ben said. The two pilots walked in and took seats in front of the desk while Rick returned behind the desk and sat down.

"What's on your mind, Boss?" Ben questioned.

"Well, outside of how awful things went today and the fact I have a ton of letters to go over now, I was wondering about something." Rick glanced at the two and saw they had grabbed a hold of each other's hand.

"When exactly did you two become a thing?" Rick debated saying something about how he had caught a glimpse of them embracing before heading out on Star Saver, but he decided to table it for the time being.

Amelia smiled. "About a week ago, sir." Ben nodded. "Boss, she and I just click. Dunno how it happened, but it did."

"Gotcha," Rick drawled. _Well, that's the last time I make a bet with Vanessa about these kind of things,_ he thought. The bet had come about during lunch a few days prior when Rick had bumped into the Trio at the Mess Hall. Vanessa had said she had heard rumors that Ben and Amelia were together, but Rick wasn't so sure. A friendly wager was made with the loser having to buy a round for the other at the Officer's Club. _And knowing her tastes,_ Rick thought over. _She's probably going to opt for something off of the top shelf. Note to self, don't go to the OC until after my next paycheck clears._

"Well," Rick continued. "I don't see a problem with this at all, but I do want to talk to both of you separately first. Just wanted to go over some basic ground rules and all." Looking at Ben, Rick nodded. "Ladies first on this one, Ben. Mind waiting outside for a few?"

"Not a problem, Rick," Ben responded as he stood up. He smiled at Amelia as he made his way out of the office.

* * *

Rick waited for the door to click shut before continuing on. While he waited, he looked over at the younger pilot. _They do click well together,_ Rick thought. _Good idea I had pairing them together on the last mission. This may not be a bad thing._

Once the door was shut, Rick stood up from the desk.

"OK, Amelia. It's just some basic stuff I'm gonna go over here. As you know, I don't have a problem with you and Ben deciding to date and all. The only thing is that I ask is that you guys be professional about things. And if things go south, don't even hesitate to talk to me. I don't want morale taking a hit because of personal issues. I have no problems with transferring either one of you out of Skull if it comes to it. I may be friends with both of you, but there's limits."

"Totally understood, sir," Amelia answered. "Don't see any issues with that coming up between Ben and myself, but we're also adults. At least I think I am," she added with a grin.

"True, Ben is a bit like a big kid. Nothing wrong with that, but I also have my responsibilities here as well."

"And it's something we're keeping in mind, sir."

"We're off the record here, Nibs. And seeing you're now dating one of my best friends, you can call me Rick."

"Sure thing, si..I mean Rick." Amelia smiled briefly. "So I guess we have your OK on this?"

Rick nodded with a smile. "You do. Trust me, it's the most upbeat I've seen Ben in a while. Besides, you did a hell of a job keeping him alive during that last mission."

"Saved him twice, but he'll never admit to it," she stated with a bit of a laugh.

"Yeah, and what was with that Boomstick crack? I have to admit, I got a bit of a laugh out of that one."

"Just kinda came to me in the heat of the moment. If there was anything wrong with that, I won't do it again."

"No, nothing was wrong with it at all. Just found it funny. Besides, you're talking to someone that full on punched a pod during that furball. Poor sap at the stick in that pod didn't see it coming. It looked like the pod was painted with crushed raspberries."

"Quite a vivid picture, Rick. But, yeah, you have nothing to worry about with Ben. If I'm with him, I'll make sure he comes home in one piece. Like you said on the flight back home, he runs off on his own and it's like watching a kid run with scissors. You cringe and try to make sure he doesn't do too much damage to himself."

"It's just how he ticks. He's a damn good pilot, but he takes too many chances sometimes. Not a critique, but just a simple statement of fact. I did the same things too."

"Except you have Captain Hayes there to get you back in line over the TacNet," Amelia answered. "We've started to notice there's a lot less sniping between you two on the 'Net. Sounds like you guys came to some sort of understanding from what Ben told me."

Rick smiled. "You could say," he replied. "Maybe I just realized a few things."

"Rick, she's been head over heels for you for quite a while from what Ben says. It wasn't hard for me to pick up on that the first day I flew with the Skulls."

"It's also probably the worst kept secret on this base," he added with a laugh.

"Would New Detroit have something to do with the change in demeanor? I did see that _putain chinoise_ snap at you and toss the water bottle in your direction."

Rick nodded sadly. "Yeah, that had a lot to do with what happened. You could say it was a wakeup call. Ben probably told you that I had a thing for Minmei for years."

Amelia nodded. "Another one of those worst kept secrets," she added with a bit of a laugh.

"Yeah. You also saw what went down in New Detroit. Kinda told me that things needed to be left behind and I needed to go forward."

"Well, even though I don't know you as well as Ben does," she stated. "I can tell when someone cares for someone else a lot. It's obvious that you and the Captain are both crazy for each other. If I can see it, Lord only knows who else can."

"I'm just waiting for the right moment. Just want to do things the right way, ya know?"

"Much like how Ben and I wanted to do things right too."

"Which you have." Rick extended a hand. "I guess congratulations are in order, Amelia. Take care of him."

Amelia didn't bother with the handshake and went for a hug instead. "Thanks, Rick. I will. You can take that to the bank."

"You can go ahead and send Ben in now."

Amelia walked to the door and stepped out.

* * *

A few seconds later, Ben came through and shut the door behind him.

"Gee, I wonder what this is about, Rick," Ben said with a smile.

"First off, congrats. She's definitely your kinda girl. Secondly, when the hell were you gonna tell me?"

"Thanks and I was planning to. The Pop-Tart getting kidnapped and all kinda put a damper on it."

Rick sighed. "Yeah, it put a damper on a lot of things." Looking out towards the window, Rick continued. "Well, I'm gonna lay it out here as well like I did with Nibs. I have no issue with you two dating. Just keep it professional and keep personal stuff out. If trouble starts to break out in paradise, don't hesitate to let me know. We can make any adjustments we need to so that morale doesn't get hurt."

"So, in other words, don't be like you and Lisa on the TacNet?"

Rick looked up for a second and sighed. "Yeah, exactly that."

"Kinda noticed you two aren't as, um, feisty with each other as of late. Guessing the Pop-Tart's little outburst in New Detroit had a lot to do with it?"

"Well, you notice we haven't fought as much since that last blow up," Rick stated evenly.

"Ah yeah! The 'Get Your Popcorn Ready' fight. That one, wow. That was just epic even for you two. It was like watching a bad car wreck. You wanted to look away, but you couldn't..."

"I get the point, Ben," Rick said with a little twinge of annoyance. "Just, don't do that with Nibs, OK? Besides, I think Lisa has a new outlet for her anger. Namely Baker."

"You mean Rick Hunter, Jr?"

"Oh, not you too!" Rick put his head in his hands. "Lisa said the same exact thing after one earlier patrol. She also said something about payback being a bitch too."

Ben couldn't help but start laughing at this. After getting that out of his system, he thought about what he had said earlier.

"You also kinda tap danced right around my earlier observation about the Captain, Boss," Ben added with a wry grin. "I'd have to be pretty dense to realize that things have changed a bit since New Detroit."

Rick sighed. "They definitely have. I mean, you and Max picked up on it. Hell, Amelia did too."

"Hey, Rick. It's not like its a bad thing. The Captain's got a great sense of humor, she's smart, and well, she's not exactly bad on the eyes and all."

"True on all points."

"So, take that next step, man! She's a step, no wait, more like a full flight of stairs up from Minmei."

Rick smiled at his friend. "Maybe I'm just waiting for the right time, Ben."

"Wanting to do it the right way instead of rushing in? Who are you and what have you done with my friend Rick?" Ben added with a smile.

Rick started laughing. "Well, when you know you have the right one sitting right there, you want to get it right."

Ben smiled. "Aha! I was right! You're just as in to Lisa as she is to you! Look, Max and I see it. Nibs sees it. Miriya definitely does too. Hell, I'd even think Baker does too."

Rick smiled. "I can neither confirm nor deny that remark, good sir."

Ben nodded back. "Gotcha, Boss. Well, handle it how you deem it to be right. We all have your back."

"I know," he stated. He stood up and shook hands with Ben. "Congrats again, buddy. Just keep what I said in mind."

"You as well, Rick."

"That I will. Anyways, you can head on out. I got a few things I want to take care of here before heading home."

Knowing what was implied, Ben nodded. "Yeah. These next few days are gonna suck, to be honest."

Rick nodded sadly. "It's the part about war that they never tell you about, especially when you get put in command. Having to break that news to loved ones and saying goodbye to comrades is about the worst it can get."

"Well, get some rest. Also, is everything ready for tomorrow night?"

Rick nodded. "I already let Wilcox and the Rapiers know as well. They're invited. We'll all meet up later on."

With that Ben exited the office, leaving Rick alone. Rick went ahead and reopened the laptop and started to review the file in front of him. Taking a deep sigh, he started to review the document. Satisfied it was about as well-crafted as it could be, he clicked on the Print option and waited for the copy to appear in the printer. Walking over, he looked it over and took out a pen and signed the bottom of the letter, then placed it in the envelope. Once done, he clicked on the document and moved it over to the Recycle Bin on the desktop before opening the next document.

 _The first of many,_ he thought. _Even one is too many if you ask me._ Looking at the clock, he shook his head. _Gonna be a really long night tonight._

* * *

As they walked down the hallway, Ben and Amelia walked hand in hand towards the exit.

"Think he'll be surprised to see the Captain?" Amelia asked.

"Nah, more like happy," Ben responded. "The op was a rough one and I can see her helping to cheer him up."

"Think those two will ever get it together?"

"They will, Nibs. They're both pretty hard-headed, but they mean well. Plus, after talking to Rick, he wants to get it right."

"He said the same thing to me too," Amelia added. "Mind if we stop at my place? I want to get my dress uniform and a few things for tomorrow."

"Well, you're my ride, so I don't have a choice," Ben laughed.

Amelia turned towards Ben and smiled. "Glad the Boss didn't have a problem with this," she said as she pulled him closer.

"Likewise, Nibs, likewise," Ben responded before being drawn into a kiss.


	3. DBTD Cut Scene 3 - Turning Out

**DBTD Cut Scene Three – Turning Out**

* * *

 _ **A/N –**_ _This scene also takes place at the end of Chapter 15. This was also one scene I had the hardest time debating to either keep in or not. I did opt for not, but I feel that I wanted to write this one out as I saw fit after the fact. Basically, the Skulls have made their visits to the families of the fallen and now gather together with remaining members of Rapier to say their own private goodbye to the fallen._

* * *

It was a typical night at the SetUp. A few of the regulars had come in after their days at work to have a quick drink or two before heading back home. For the most part, it had been quiet. For his part, owner Sam Hargrove sat in his usual spot behind the bar. He had come to Macross shortly after the SDF-1 had landed on the little island and soon established his bar as the place for the RDF forces that lived off base to come by and have a cold one or two after a long day. Before this and even before the Global Civil War had broken out, he had spent the early part of his life as a relief pitcher in the major leagues in the old United States. It was a natural for him to name his little establishment as the SetUp as that was what his role was, the last pitcher to come in before the closer.

As he had in the past, he always made sure that anyone in uniform got at least their first drink on the house when they came on in. When asked about this, he simply said it was paying it forward for his older brother Robert. Robert had gone to Vietnam and had been killed in action during the Tet Offensive. Rather than blaming anyone that wore the uniform, he honored and respected that fact that there were people out there that were willing to put their lives on the line so he could enjoy things like a career in baseball or running a bar.

So it had come as no surprise to him that he had received a call from Commander Rick Hunter of all people shortly after the events of Operation Star Saver had passed. There had been no hesitation from the owner to go ahead and set up the private area in the back for what was to occur. He had remembered Rick's old commander Roy Fokker doing the same some nights after actions with the Zentraedi on the long voyage back to Earth. _From what the news says, it looks like our guys went through a rough one out there,_ Sam had thought at the time. What made it hit home even more was watching the ceremony at Command earlier in the day. _That brought back some awful memories,_ he thought. _I can still remember standing there on the tarmac at Edwards as the plane rolled in from Saigon with Robbie on it. Hurt then, still hurts now, and it hurt like hell to watch that today._

It was then that Sam saw eight individuals come walking into the bar. All were in RDF dress uniforms and looking very downcast. He immediately recognized Rick among the bunch and motioned to him to come over.

"Commander, everything is all set in the back for you and the others," Sam said quietly. "The beers back there are on the house."

"Thanks, Sam," Rick said with a smile that was twinged with a great deal of sadness behind it. "You knew I was calling for a Turn Out as soon as you answered the phone."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I figured that was coming when I saw the news. There's an extra one there. Mind including Robbie on this one?"

"Not a problem, Sam. I know Roy always did and I'll carry that tradition on."

Sam patted Rick on the shoulder. "Thanks, Commander. It means a lot. It may have been almost fifty years ago, but that wound is one that will never heal."

"Some never do, Sam. Some never do." With that Rick started to make his way back, but stopped quickly. "Oh Sam, if Captain Hayes comes in, just have her meet us in the back. Also, can I get another bottle of Old Macross?"

"You got it on both points, Commander," Sam stated as he reached into the cooler and pulled out a bottle. "Like the others, it's on the house."

Rick nodded and walked towards the back of the bar and the private area.

Sam sighed and went back about his business, thinking of events of long before.

* * *

As Rick arrived in the back, he looked over the assembly of fellow pilots with him. From Skull, he was joined by Max, Miriya, Ben, and Amelia as they had joined him on the house calls during the day. From Rapier was their commander, Tom Wilcox, along with his three remaining pilots. He then observed the table set up in front of them. Lined up on the table were twenty-four bottles of beer. Twenty-three were for the pilots that had not returned home. The last one was, at Sam's earlier request, for his fallen brother from years before. Rick then placed the bottle he had just gotten on the table as well.

He then took off his dress uniform hat and then pulled out a small bag that had some pieces of paper. Rick placed the papers inside of the hat and shook it up, then placed the hat in the middle of the table.

Taking a deep breath and clearing his head, Rick turned to the others.

"We all know why we're here tonight. Today was frankly one of the worst days I've had since signing on as a pilot with the RDF. We are here to honor twenty-three of our comrades and friends that made that ultimate sacrifice on this past mission. Inside of the hat are the names of those that didn't come home on this one. We'll go one at a time, draw a name, say a few good words about them, then take one of the beers, open it, and pour it out over the side of the deck. This is known as a Turn Out. Some of us have been here for a few, and for some it's a new experience. Needless to say, it's one I wish to never do again after each time. The last two beers are for two others that are not here. One is a tradition that Commander Fokker started when we were still on the SDF-1 and had this at the SetUp. It's a thank you to the owner of the bar in honor of his brother who fought in 'Nam and didn't come home. The other, well, that's personal but those of us in Skull know what it means. As the one that set this all up, I will be handling the last two personally."

Rick then turned to the others. "I'll be starting off, followed by Wilcox, Max, Sluggo, Ben, Miriya, and down the line by rank. Then, we cycle around again until the hat is empty. I'll do the last two. After that," Rick then pulled out nine shot glasses and a bottle of tequila. "After that, we all do one shot. Then, it's fair game to have whatever you want from the bar if you wish to continue on."

Rick then went over to the hat in the center of the table and pulled a name out of the hat. Reading it quickly, he sighed and grabbed one of the beers and opened it.

"Corporal Alvaro Garcia, call sign of Javelin. He had some definite skills out there and held his own today. _Vaya con Dios, hermano._ "

Rick then walked over to the railing and tipped the beer over, letting the contents of the bottle fall to the ground. He then walked back and nodded to Wilcox, who drew the next name out of the hat.

"Corporal Greg Becker, call sign of Flipper. Kid caught a real unlucky break on this mission. Like Garcia, he had a ton of promise. May the wind be always at your back, Flips."

Wilcox followed Rick's example and poured the beer out. Max was the next to step up.

"Sergeant Dillon Harvey, call sign of Wallbanger. He fought hard in the big dustup with Dolza and was looked to be going places. Gonna miss ya, man."

After Max went, Sluggo was the next on the list. Pulling his name, he winced a bit.

"Major Dennis Upbridge, call sign of Menace. Another one of our brighter lights that got dimmed today. Really not going to be the same walking into the locker room and not seeing ya there next to me. Rest easy, my friend."

Sluggo found himself fighting back tears after pouring the beer out as he and Menace had been friends from well before both had joined the RDF. Ben was next to go. Drawing his name, he also shook his head as he grabbed a beer.

"Corporal Wayne Peterson, call sign of Doggie. He gave his all out there today and sacrificed himself to make sure the Special Ops guys could get clear. See ya on the other side, brother."

Miriya approached next and drew a name. She then grabbed a beer.

"Sergeant Brody Justins, call sign of Turk. A noble warrior who gave his life so others could fight on. There is no greater honor than that. Your sacrifice was not in vain."

Amelia was next on to go, drawing a name and trying to compose herself.

"Corporal Hagen Daniels, call sign of Grover. I knew him back at the Academy. Great guy with a brilliant sense of humor. Be it Skull or Rapier, we're all family. Keep poundin', Hage."

Tears began to fall as she poured the beer out and returned to the others.

The proceedings continued on as the other pilots were honored in the same manner. While this was going on, Lisa had arrived and had slipped in to the room somewhat unnoticed. Rick, however, had seen her walk on in. After the last slip of paper had been drawn and only two beers remained on the table, he nodded towards her. She exited the room and came back a minute later with Sam.

Rick then took up one of the two remaining bottles and recited something he knew from memory.

"Private First Class Robert Damien Hargrove, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division. Made the ultimate sacrifice during the Battle of Khe Sanh in Vietnam. May we never forget your courage and heroism."

Sam smiled as a tear came down across his cheek. Rick nodded as he walked to the edge of the railing and poured the beer out with a barely audible "Oorah". He then walked back and took a deep breath before he did the last one.

"Commander Roy Fokker, Robotech Defense Forces. The original Skull Leader. One hell of a pilot and one hell of a fighter. This is also the first Turn Out we've done since you made the final fold. Here's to you, Big Brother. Miss you like hell."

Rick felt his composure slipping away as he made his way to the deck to pour out the beer as he felt a tear fall down his cheek. Lisa's had slipped well before that as she felt tears streaming down. _God, that had to be tough for him,_ she thought. _Even though that was nearly three years ago, that still stings for both of us._ She looked over at Sam and noticed the tough owner of the bar was in the same boat as Rick and herself. _And seeing how Sam's reacted to them honoring his brother, the pain never fades over time either._

Finishing up, Rick walked back and took another deep breath. He then took out the bottle of tequila and poured out nine shots.

Taking another deep breath, he gathered his thoughts before continuing.

"The last part is a toast and shot. Everyone come grab one."

The others all came forward and grabbed a shot glass. Sam had thought ahead and had brought two extras. Rick poured shots for the barkeeper and for Lisa. In due course, all in the room had a shot glass filled with the clear but potent liquid.

"We honor all of them tonight. They're never far from us. They're now watching over us. We'll never forget you guys. It's events like this that give you pause. If you have loved ones, hug them a little tighter tonight. See you on the other side."

With that, Rick tossed back the shot. The others followed suit.

After the shots were done, Rick saw Lisa there and smiled weakly, feeling that whatever sort of composure he had mustered was breaking apart. He walked over to her and pulled her close into a tight embrace.

Lisa could sense Rick was at that breaking point. She felt part of her jacket starting to become wet. Knowing what this meant, she started running her hand through Rick's hair as an attempt to soothe and remove any sort of hurt that was present. _Anything I can do to help, you know I'm there for you, Rick._

* * *

As the night progressed, most of the pilots and Lisa had remained at the SetUp, having a few beers and trying their best to keep a positive spin on things. Lisa took a look around and took note of things. She saw that Max and Miriya had left shortly after, which was understandable as they wanted to go back and check on Dana. In another corner of the room, she saw Ben and Amelia huddled up close to each other. She then noticed a bunch of the other pilots were talking amongst themselves. _Mostly the Rapier guys,_ she thought. _They took the brunt of this one._

Rick, however, was her main concern. He had put down a few beers after the shot of tequila and didn't look like he was about to stop any time soon. Max had noted this before he and Miriya had left, but Lisa had been sure to reassure him that she would be keeping an eye on Rick that night. She looked over at the dark haired pilot. He was sitting back looking up at the sky and taking a healthy pull off of the bottle of Old Macross in his hand. Around him were a number of empty bottles he had already polished off.

"Where the hell exactly did I go wrong on this mission? Oh yeah, when I volunteered to lead it. God, how frigging stupid could I have been?"

"Rick," Lisa said. "Beating yourself up about it is not going to help any. You had no idea about the little tricks Khyron had in store."

"Still didn't make today any easier," he slurred. "I dunno which house call was worse. Harvey, Justins, or Peterson. All three were horrid, but Harvey and Justins had kids there that knew what was up when I came to the door. Explaining to kids that know their dad's not coming home is just even worse."

He took another large drink from the beer.

"Peterson though, that was really bad. His wife is six months pregnant. That kid is never gonna know his dad. And I feel like that it was my fault that happened."

Lisa grabbed the bottle from Rick, which earned her a glare from Rick in return. She, however, did not back down and then stood up in front of Rick.

"I think it's time we cut this off. Drinking yourself into a stupor isn't going to bring any of them back. It's not going to change a thing. What happened, happened. Best we can do is honor them, which we have, and then make sure that their sacrifices weren't in vain."

Lisa's words seem to hit home with Rick, who nodded.

"You're right. As much as getting completely wrecked has taken the edge off of things, it doesn't change a thing. Agreed it's time to go home." With that, Rick attempted to stand up, but pitched forward into one of the tables. Lisa attempted to stop his fall, but was knocked over in the process as Rick smacked off of the table and hit the floor.

Ben and Amelia noticed the commotion and had come on over to help Rick out. Ben quickly got Rick up off the floor and was helped by both Amelia and Lisa in holding him up. Lisa turned to Wilcox and the others from Rapier and made a motion that it was probably time to call it a night. Wilcox nodded and turned to his pilots to go ahead and leave.

"He gonna be ok, Lisa?" Wilcox asked.

"Yeah, he should be. Dixon, Niebauer, and myself will make sure he gets home in one piece. Have a good night, Tom."

Wilcox gave Lisa a quick salute and watched as she and the other two pilots from Skull assisted their commanding officer out of the room and out of the bar.

As the group arrived at the front door, Sam looked over and shook his head. _Kid took it personally, it looks like,_ he thought. _May not have been the greatest of decisions on his part, but he does mean well._ He nodded to Lisa quickly and then stated plainly. "Don't worry about a thing, Captain. Tonight is on me. The kid's been through enough today to worry about a bar tab."

"Thanks, Sam. I'll make sure he knows when he finally comes to."

With that, the group made its way out of the SetUp and towards Rick's off-base housing.

* * *

About twenty minutes later, they arrived at Rick's house. Finding that the door was locked, Ben took the step of fishing into Rick's jacket pockets for the key.

"Damnit, Rick," Ben muttered. "I ain't about to reach into your pants pocket for the key." He looked over at Lisa. "I think you may have to volunteer on this one, Captain. Be a bit better if he found your hand in his front pockets as opposed to mine. He'd probably take a swing at me."

Lisa smiled and gave the idea some thought. _As tempting as that thought would be, it probably wouldn't be a good idea. Besides, I've been drunk around him and he never took advantage, so I owe him that._ Pushing that idea out of her head, Lisa remembered that she had come over a few times prior and didn't have a key. She went towards the side of the house and nudged a rock with her shoe. Underneath was a spare. She bent down and picked up the key and opened the door.

"Might as well get Sleeping Beauty here to his bedroom," Ben stated. "Come on Rick, time for bed, pal."

A low moan came back in response.

After placing Rick on his bed, Ben and Amelia walked back into the living room. "You sure he'll be OK, Captain?" Amelia questioned.

"Quite sure of it," Lisa responded. "I'm staying here to make sure he's OK." She sat down on the couch. "Besides, the couch is kinda comfy. Not that I've slept on it in the past or anything."

Ben cracked a smile and then turned to Amelia. "Rick's in good hands, Nibs. I think that's our cue to head on home."

"I'm all for it. My feet are killing me," Amelia responded. "Have a good night, Captain."

"You too, and thanks for the assist."

As Ben and Amelia left, Lisa walked back into Rick's room. She saw he was already out cold and snoring. Taking a precaution, she moved the wastepaper basket from his bathroom next to the bed. Looking at the room, she did take notice of one thing. _Well, well, well. The Shrine is no more. Guess that was a recent change,_ she thought as she pulled out a pair of sweats and a t-shirt from his drawers. _Don't think you'll mind me borrowing these tonight,_ she thought. _Besides, it'll be a bit uncomfortable sleeping in my uniform._

Before leaving for the couch, she leaned over and kissed Rick on the forehead. "Sleep well, Flyboy," she whispered as she made her way to the living room.

After changing and settling in, Lisa thought to herself about the evening that had transpired. _We're in a rough business, that's for sure. It's small things like this that help us cling to our basic good natures. Guess you were right, Rick. The day we can say we can deal with events like this like they're the ordinary is the day we surrender our humanity._


	4. DBTD Cut Scene 4 - FINALLY!

**DBTD Cut Scene Four – FINALLY!**

* * *

 _ **A/N –**_ _This one takes place after Chapter 21. Rick and Lisa have finally gotten together, so when the news breaks, the reactions of the others on base are quite, well, interesting._

* * *

The day dawned bright over New Macross. Inside of one of the many houses that surrounded the sprawling Macross Command complex, Rick Hunter and Lisa Hayes awoke after one of the more momentous evenings of their lives. Yawning broadly, Rick was the first out of bed, deciding to go ahead and take care of the coffee for the two. As he made his way towards the kitchen, he could feel a bit of stiffness on his part after the activities of the night prior. _And here I thought I was in good shape,_ he mused as he started to put the coffee together. _Definitely worth it though. She's definitely full of surprises, that's for sure._

About ten minutes later, Rick noticed the coffee was ready. Getting two mugs from the cabinet, he poured some for himself and Lisa, added the right amounts of cream and sugar to the steaming mugs and carried them back into the bedroom. He noticed that clothes were strewn about on the floor. Doing his best to avoid a shoe or two, he finally reached Lisa's side of the bed and rested the mug on the bedside table. He then made his way back to the side he had claimed the night before, put the mug down and then smiled as he returned to bed and noticed the form next to him.

 _Waiting was worth it,_ he thought. _We already had the emotional and friendship part down pretty good, but the added bonus of raw passion thrown in? Yeah, I'd be a fool to break her heart ever again._ Running his hand through her hair, Rick ended up making a solemn promise while sitting there. _Lisa, you're the one and only for me. I know that beyond a shadow of a doubt now. I promise I will never hurt you again._ Lisa began to stir and looked up at Rick, who was sitting there with a t-shirt and pair of shorts on. Smiling, she leaned up towards him and kissed him.

"Good morning. A girl could get used to waking up like this, you know."

"Like I couldn't?" came the response back. "Made some coffee."

"Oh, you truly are heaven sent," she said as she looked over at the table and saw the mug sitting there. Taking a sip, she smiled as he had gotten the right combination of sugar and cream in the coffee. "Got it right too," she beamed as she took another sip.

"I actually listen every once in a while, ya know," Rick added with a wink as he took a sip.

"You do. Although I wish it would happen a tiny bit more on the TacNet," she added with a grin.

"I've been behaving lately," he added with a mock hurt tone. "You still have Ben and Baker to yell at though,"

"True. You would think Amelia would have calmed Ben down a bit."

"Give it time."

"Baker, though. There may not be much hope there, Rick."

"Well, I have an idea that may work. I'll have a better idea on how well after tomorrow." Glancing at the alarm clock, he frowned a bit. "Speaking of the office, I think we've got about ninety minutes to get there before they start sending the MP's after us."

"Do we have to?" Lisa answered with a pout.

Rick nodded, causing Lisa's pout to become more pronounced. Rick then eyed the bathroom. "Do you want to go first?"

Lisa smiled. "You can go first. Can't guarantee I'd leave you any hot water after I was done."

"It's not a problem. It's your place, you go first."

"Rick, you'll take like less than ten minutes to get ready. Me? It'll take a good thirty minutes at least."

Seeing this going nowhere fast, Rick thought for a second and reached into the pocket of his jeans that were lying on the floor. He pulled out a quarter. "We'll do this the fairest way. I'll flip it, you call it in the air. Winner gets first call."

Lisa nodded. As the coin flew into the air, she thought for a split second and called, "Tails."

The coin landed on the bed with the profile of George Washington facing upwards.

"Guess I'm going first." Rick got up and started to make his way towards the bathroom, but paused to plant a kiss on Lisa's lips. The kiss was returned with some intensity and suddenly, both found themselves back on the bed.

"OK, hotshot. May want to ramp it down a bit. Either that or take a cold shower," Lisa said kiddingly.

Rick nodded. "OK, OK, OK. Maybe your idea of playing hooky from work would have been a bit better, but yeah. We kinda gotta show up and all."

Lisa sat back on the bed and smiled as the door to the bathroom closed. _Better than I expected in more than one way,_ she thought. _Much better than I thought._

* * *

In due time, the new couple were on their way towards Macross Command. The MP's at the gate didn't give it any second thought seeing the base's XO and the CAG driving in together as they did live near each other and were good enough friends. Checking the ID's, the MP waived the car through. The only thing that struck him was the music coming out of Rick's car. If the MP had known what had happened the night before, the irony would have struck him.

To their credit, Rick and Lisa did their best to not drop any hints. However, once past the gate, Lisa started to laugh and smiled.

"Interesting and somewhat appropriate choice of music this morning, Flyboy," she mused.

"Hey, I think after the events of the last twelve hours, I'm entitled to feel a little good," Rick smiled back. "Besides, it's not every day you find the Forever Girl and all."

As he eased the car into the parking spot, Rick felt something come over him that was saying this was going to be a very interesting day. Lisa smiled and turned towards him as the car came to a halt.

"So, mister. What's on your schedule?"

"Well, a quick briefing with the squad. Then, while they hit the sims, I get to meet the three newest members of Skull. Probably just some mundane stuff after that. Pretty typical. And your day?"

"Just some time on the bridge keeping up on the goings on, then probably reviewing more paperwork for our new home away from home," Lisa stated, gesturing towards the large form of the SDF-2 that started to dominate the view.

"Sounds like tons of fun," Rick added with a twinge of sarcasm, knowing how much Lisa enjoyed paperwork.

"Yep, my idea of a riveting day," she added with an equal dose. "In a way, I miss the old days when we'd be pretty much staving off an attack on a near daily basis."

"Then we got adult responsibilities," Rick commented.

"I always had them, mister. You kind of grew into yours."

"True. Have some time for lunch later on?"

"I think I can squeeze that into my schedule," she stated with a grin.

They drew closer and kissed quickly. "Have a fun day," she stated as she walked towards the looming SDF-2. Rick smiled and saluted as he headed off towards the hangars.

* * *

The bridge of the under-construction SDF-2 was a buzz of activity as it was serving as the nerve center for Macross Command. Lisa gazed over the area before she made her way to her usual post. Looking over at the Communications and Scanning area, she could see Vanessa, Kim, and Sammie going on about something that was making the rounds of the base. _I wonder how they'll react that one of their favorite things to talk about is now a reality,_ she thought with a smile. _Should be really fun to see who won the pool they started._ Looking a bit closer to the TacNet area, she saw Claudia preparing at her usual post. Taking a deep breath, Lisa walked in with her standard cup of tea and headed over to the TacNet position.

"Good morning, Lisa," Claudia stated with a salute, which was returned in kind. "Quite the eventful day yesterday."

"No kidding," she responded. "Not every day you go out to lunch and get held hostage by some shrunken deranged Zentraedi."

Claudia nodded. "Well, if I knew you any better, Lisa, after that you probably just went home and had a few glasses of wine before going to bed with a good book."

"Well, I did go home, but the book and wine never happened. Had company spend the night."

The smile told Claudia all she needed to know. _Well, I'll be damned. He finally did it. You hear that, Roy? Finally!_

Claudia smiled back. "Do I have to take three guesses as to who it was?"

It was at this point that the Trio's ears perked up. Vanessa turned to Kim and smiled, then whispered, "Did Commander Hunter and the Captain, well, um, you know?"

"Kinda looks like they did, 'Ness," Kim whispered back. "I mean, look at the Captain! She's got that 'I got some last night' look on her face right now. Maybe she'll be in a better mood on the bridge."

Sammie was smiling broadly as well. "About time! I mean, sheesh, she was chasing him for how long?"

"At least since their capture by the Zentraedi," Kim added softly.

"Definitely since the missile incident over the Pacific," Vanessa stated.

Lisa and Claudia looked over at the Trio and knew the conversation they were having involved Lisa and her romantic life.

"Have a feeling they're putting two and two together," Claudia stated with a grin. "Want to go ahead and put them out of their misery?"

"Sure," Lisa stated with a wry grin. Without a sound, she walked over to that particular section of the bridge. _Why am I enjoying this a lot more than I should? Oh well, the looks on their faces are quite entertaining,_ she thought. _That song that Rick played on the way over was_ _ **so**_ _fitting._

The hushed conversation between the Trio continued to the point that they never noticed Lisa come up behind them.

"Well, I'm guessing the conversation is about me," Lisa stated loud enough that they could hear her.

The Trio went pale and shot to attention immediately.

"Oh, don't worry about it. You're not in trouble," she stated plainly. "But I'd probably check to see who was the closest in the pool because, well, I think you kind of figured it out," she stated with mirthful smirk.

With that, Lisa turned back and went to her post, leaving Vanessa, Kim, and Sammie in a very rare state; speechless. Claudia found herself trying to keep from doubling over laughing at the reaction of the three women in the corner of the bridge.

"And now, the last mystery is who won the pool," Claudia deadpanned.

Lisa gave her friend a look. The look was returned with a quick shake of her head.

"No, my choice was around September," Claudia responded. "I think that was about the time you and Rick had that really wild fight on the TacNet. Didn't Ben say something about popcorn regarding that one?"

"Thanks for the reminder," Lisa grumbled. "That was not a proud moment." She looked off towards the view screen in front. "Wonder who was the big winner. Well, besides me," she added with a smile.

Claudia walked over and hugged her friend. "About time Rick got his head together. You'll have to give me the details later. Well, outside of certain things, but you get my drift."

"Sure. I don't think Rick would have a problem with you joining us for lunch today."

"As long as it's not a trip to a French place downtown, I'm fine."

Lisa nodded with a smile.

* * *

Over in the lounge and common area of the hangar wing that Skull Squadron called home, the other pilots were noticing something about their commanding officer. The first two to notice something was up were Ben Dixon and Max Sterling.

"Boss looks to be in a good mood," Ben said. "And I mean a really good mood."

"Yeah, that he does, Ben," Max mused.

"Hell, Baker could actually cause the sims to melt down like a faulty reactor and I doubt it'd faze him," Ben added.

"Willing to bet dollars to donuts that a certain brunette Captain had a lot to do with that mood change, Ben. May want to go and check who won the pool, I'm guessing."

Ben nodded as Rick walked over.

"Mornin', Boss," Ben stated. "Guessing that call last night wasn't a bad thing at all?"

Rick nodded. "Ben, you have no idea, my friend. No idea."

"I think by that smile on your face, we can kinda guess what did happen, Rick," Max smirked. "Be a really safe assumption you and Lisa met up at some point?"

Rick smiled. "I can neither confirm nor deny that, Max."

Both Ben and Max raised an eyebrow at this. "Rick," Ben said evenly. "You're like a brother to both of us, but let's be honest here. You've got the worst poker face known to mankind."

Max nodded. "Yeah, it's not very hard to tell. You look like I did the night I met Miriya."

Rick smiled and nodded. "That obvious, guys?"

"Yeah, Rick. That obvious," Max deadpanned.

Ben had decided by this point he had made Rick sweat over things enough and hugged his friend. "Congrats, buddy. About damn time!"

Max followed suit, hugging his commanding officer and good friend. "Ben's right. It is about damn time. Took ya long enough to wake up."

"Thanks, guys," Rick stated. "It just was the right time. Wanted to make sure a certain aspect of my past was firmly there."

Ben and Max both rolled their eyes at the mention of the past.

A silence fell over the group before Ben spoke out.

"Well, I'm willing to bet that there's one song she'll never sing again."

The three pilots started to laugh.

* * *

As the day came to an end, Rick and Lisa met up at his car to head back home.

"My place tonight?" Rick asked.

"Sounds fair. Just need to pick up some things at my house. We both have tomorrow off, so it's a good thing. Just a day relaxing sounds good," Lisa added, punctuating the point with a kiss.

Smiling, Lisa looked at Rick and had one thing on her mind. "So, I know the Skulls had a pool on when you'd finally break down and ask me out. Who won?"

"Amelia," Rick stated. "She cleared two-hundred bucks. She's already planning on taking Ben out to dinner with the money."

Lisa smiled. "Good for her."

"So, who won the pool on the bridge? I knew about that one seeing Vanessa, Kim, and Sammie were in charge. Heard it was around seven fifty at last count."

Lisa started to laugh. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"How about Admiral Gloval."

Rick's jaw dropped. "No, you're right. I don't believe you," he added with a laugh.

"Came as a shock to everyone. And yes, he approves by the way. And he wanted to ask what took you so long."

"That's been the order of the day," Rick said with a tinge of exasperation. "Everyone's that's heard about us has been saying it."

"Well, I, for one, am happy you did go ahead," Lisa said with a smile.

"Me too. Glad I finally realized I had what I always wanted right there."

* * *

 _ **Song Referenced -** "How You Like Me Now?" by The Heavy_


	5. DBTD Cut Scene 5 - Not That Different

**DBTD Cut Scene Five – Not That Different**

* * *

 _ **A/N –**_ _This one also takes place between Chapters 21 and 22. Rick finally confronts the maelstrom of bad behavior that is Jack Baker and notices he's a lot like he was at the same stage of his career in the RDF. Taking a page from Roy's book, Rick tries to set Baker on the straight and narrow._

* * *

Rick sat in his office mulling over the incident reports filed by both Ben and Max regarding the simulation pods. _The incident came about when an un-named pilot decided to adjust the training program, causing an unexpected mechanical failure,_ Rick read over on the report. Sighing deeply and looking towards the ceiling, he could feel his anger building towards what had happened and who had gone ahead with this. _Jack, what the hell were you thinking? I mean, I pulled a stunt like that when I was just starting out, but wow, you took it to a level I never would have gone to. Making it tougher is one thing, but turning it into a death ride was another._

Rick re-read the report again. It was just then the phone in his office went off. Looking over at the caller ID, he saw it was the bridge. Thinking who was on patrol today, he started to put two and two together and braced himself as he picked up the phone.

"Hunter"

" _Rick, it's Lisa. I normally wouldn't call, but you have to do something about Baker. Like_ _ **now.**_ _"_

"What did he do this time?"

" _Well, he thought it'd be cute to buzz the Deuce on his way back in today. He came within ten feet of the bridge! He's damn lucky the Admiral had just decided to go back to his office about five minutes before. Sammie came into my office in tears and told me. I just got done double checking everything and yeah, he did."_

 _I am going to kill him. And I think I'd get acquitted at a court martial if I did,_ Rick thought.

" _I swear, he's going to get someone killed with his little stunts. Claudia said Sammie was shaking like a leaf after this and I think she's going to need some serious therapy for a while."_

"I'll go ahead and take care of this. Thank you for the information."

" _Thank you, Rick."_

"And Lisa, if he ever does something like that again, you have my permission to shoot his ass down."

" _You mean a 'missile malfunction'?"_

"At least when you did that to me, it was an accident," he added with a slight bit of mirth behind it. It had taken Rick a little time to poke fun about what had been a really touchy subject between them, but to his credit, he never blamed her for that particular incident over the Pacific nearly three years before.

" _I'll keep that in mind. But I'm not letting Sammie know. She'd probably do it regardless at this point."_

"Well, I have a pilot to go yell at. Talk to you later, and thank you."

" _Bye, Flyboy."_

The phone went dead. Rick got up from his desk and started to make his way down to the common area thinking of what the RDF protocols had to say about strangling a pilot for acting like a complete fool.

* * *

"Had to admit, that was a nice bit of flying out there," Jack Baker mused as he walked into the common area.

The looks from the two pilots that were with him on the patrol spoke volumes. Sergeant David Rivers, who flew under the call-sign of Stitch, glared back at the smaller pilot. However, for pure venomous looks, it was hard to top the look that one Amelia Niebauer sent Baker's direction.

"Don't everyone praise me at once," he deadpanned.

"Baker," Amelia said slowly and with a lot of menace. "You have to be one of two things. Insane or just really frigging stupid."

"Christ, Baker," Stitch added. "You're dangerous as hell out there. What the hell are you trying to prove? You're crazier than Big Ugly?"

"Come on, guys," Baker said with a smile. "I had it all under control. Besides, I was just trying to get their attention and all."

"Cut the crap, Jack," Amelia shot back. "Nobody likes a show off."

"So says Ms. Boomstick over here."

"Really, Jack. Wanna go there? It won't end well," Amelia snarled. Her hands had suddenly balled into fists and were at her side. "Besides, it'll be real hard to boast with a busted jaw, dumbass."

It was at this moment Rick walked into the room and saw what was going on. _Great, now it's escalating to a near brawl,_ he thought as he saw Amelia with a rage-filled scowl on her face. Baker was still smiling smugly back at the now angered pilot with Stitch doing whatever it was he could to keep them apart.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Baker?" Stitch snapped. "Nibs! Back down off this little cretin. Your career isn't worth punching him out!"

"It'll sure as hell make me feel better, Stitch," she responded. "Maybe you should let me pop this little _morceau de merde_ in the grill. It'll get him to shut up!"

"Sheesh, is it your time of the month, Nibs?"

 _"Va te faire foutre, tabernac!"_

Rick decided it was time to put a stop to this and quickly. _Baker had better thank me, because Nibs would definitely kick his ass without breaking a sweat._

"BAKER! NIEBAUER! RIVERS! What the hell is going on? No, don't even bother explaining it here. My office. Right. Now."

The three pilots turned towards their commanding officer and saw Rick with a deadly serious look on his face.

"Did I stutter? Get your asses in gear NOW!" he shouted out.

Rick could see the color drain out of the faces of the now thoroughly terrified pilots as he turned and walked back to his office. Behind him, the other three pilots did not utter a word as they followed behind.

* * *

Once the three misbehaving pilots arrived outside of his office, Rick looked at them and scowled.

"Stitch, Nibbler, inside. Baker, sit your ass out here."

A few minutes later, the door opened up and the two pilots exited. Amelia shot Baker a hard look as she walked away. Stitch, however, didn't even make eye contact with Jack as he sat there.

Rick stepped out, gave Baker a harsh look and motioned for him to step in. Once inside, Rick gave some very simple instructions.

"Sit down, Baker."

Knowing that Rick's temper was a level that would not be conducive to his remaining with Skull Squadron shortly after the meeting, Baker attempted to say something. Before he could, Rick cut him off harshly.

"Also, I'd highly suggest shutting up right now. To say your RDF career rides on the next few minutes is an understatement."

Baker meekly nodded.

Rick walked towards the window and looked out at the SDF-2. Sighing deeply, he turned back towards Baker.

"Jesus Christ, Baker. What the hell were you thinking? No, scratch that, you weren't thinking! That was a spectacularly dangerous and suicidal stunt you pulled. Buzzing the bridge like that? You are damn lucky the Admiral had just left right before you did that. If he was on the bridge, you'd be out. No questions asked."

Rick picked up a file and frowned as he read it.

"It's another thing to add to the list here. Between the stunt with the simulation pods, talking out of turn in the mess hall after a confidential debrief, and just your general attitude, you are hanging on by a thread here, pal."

Baker had a look of terror on his face as he could see his RDF career flashing before his eyes.

Getting the reaction he desired, Rick then dropped the file on the desk and picked up another. Leafing through it, he scowled again.

"Matter of fact, it's starting to sound like one of the more infamous pilots in the RDF. I have his file here right now too. Let's see. Ah, yes. Buzzing the bridge, messing with the sims, disrespect of commanding officers on more than one occasion. Guy was a real screw up."

It was at this point that Rick smirked a bit.

"However, he never did get cashiered. His CO realized he was a damn good pilot. His initial eval said the pilot in question was a natural. All that was needed was some direction."

Rick looked at Baker. "Jack, I see that in you as well. There's no doubt you're damn good behind the stick. If you weren't, you wouldn't be here."

He then took the file in his hands and placed it on his desk.

"So, I'm taking a page from what the CO did with this case."

Rick then went to his desk and grabbed the phone.

"Yes, you can send them in now."

A few seconds later, the door opened and two young women in full RDF dress uniform walked in and saluted Rick briskly. Rick returned the salute and motioned to Baker.

"Jack, meet Corporals Karen Penn and Susan Graham. Corporals, meet Sergeant Jack Baker. Now, as to why I've brought all of you in here? Well, seeing Penn and Graham are two of our newest members of Skull, I need someone to show them the ropes."

Baker started to smile as he was catching on to the idea Rick had.

Rick then turned to the two new recruits. "You two can wait outside, I need to finish up with the Sarge here first."

Both nodded and saluted as they walked out. Rick turned back to Baker and continued once the door had shut.

"Baker, these two are going to be your responsibility on patrols. However, if you go on patrol, you will also have someone else with you, namely me."

"Understood, sir," Baker responded.

"I hope for your sake you do, Jack. I'm taking a hell of a chance on this. I may not be able to bail you out the next time you screw up, you know."

"I won't let you down on this one, sir," Baker responded with a salute. Rick returned the salute.

"So," Baker continued. "Just for curiosity's sake, how did that other pilot end up?"

Rick smirked.

"I think you may know that one, Jack. That other pilot? That was me."

A look of surprise came over Jack's face at the revelation.

"Yeah, I was a bit of a pain in the ass out there. Thought I knew everything, gave Captain Hayes constant grief on the TacNet, messed with the programming on the sims. Been there, done that."

"So, that's why you've been a bit rougher on me?"

Rick nodded. "I see a lot of myself in you, Baker. You're good, there's no doubts. But I also see my less than admirable traits in you as well. All I know is, that all changed once I was given my own squad, which was with Nightwing and Sloth. Commander Fokker put them in my charge and, well, the rest is history."

"Well, you still spar with the Captain on the TacNet."

"Not as much now. Although, I think she's taken to dumping on you and Sloth more," he added with a grin. "Also, a word to the wise, the Captain is pretty good at what she does. Listening to her is probably a very good idea if you want to walk away from a scrap in one piece. Lord knows she's bailed my ass out of the fire a few times."

"Understood. Like I said, I won't let ya down, sir."

"Good answer, Baker. Now, I need to talk to Penn and Graham quickly about something. I'll be sending them to the lounge after we finish here. Besides, you may want to apologize to Stitch and especially Nibs. Keeping her pissed off at you will also get Sloth involved and that will not end too well."

"Yes, sir!" A quick salute followed as he made his way out of the room.

As the door shut, Rick looked to the heavens and smiled. _You see that, Big Brother? I'm taking a page out of your book this time. I mean, it worked pretty well with me. Here's hoping history repeats itself._


	6. DBTD Cut Scene 6 - Popcorn, Anyone?

**DBTD Cut Scene 6 – Popcorn, Anyone?**

* * *

 _ **A/N** – *microphone held up like The Rock* "Finally, JayDog75 **has come** **back** to FFN!"_

 _I did plan to take a little time off, but I wasn't thinking it'd be almost 4 months before revisiting things. Chalk that up to some new work responsibilities and a somewhat unplanned move. Those things kind of put a damper on my muse pretty hard. However, once things settled down, it came right back to me as I finally started the initial treatment of DBTD's sequel._

 _In prepping the stage for that, I re-read the original more than once and thought that there was at least one more good cut scene I could do here before advancing on to the next installment (which got a title change after finding that there was already a story out there with the same name from a while back. I don't wish to step on toes with that, so it's going from it's intended title of "Torn Asunder" to a much better name, IMO, **Shrouds Of Darkness** )._

 _More than likely, this is the last of the cut scenes I have in mind. There's one more that may get done, but I wasn't sure how to go about it (Confession time - it would have been Rick and Lisa babysitting Dana in the middle of Chapter 18...and yes, it was one of those points where Rick thought about taking that last step with Lisa, but ended up not being the right time, but I digress)._

 _As for this one, it's more of a recollection of one of the more referenced incidents in the original story; an infamous dust up between Rick and Lisa that inspired a memorable quote from Ben. One night after a patrol, Max realized he forgot something **really** important, leading Ben to make his popcorn joke. One thing leads to another and the origin of the quote and why it became an inside joke among the Skulls is finally told. __This one takes place between Chapters 26 and 27 of DBTD._

 _(_ ** _EDIT 6/28/17_** _-_ _Caught a slight grammar error; corrected)_

* * *

"How could I have been so stupid?"

The exasperated comment drifted towards the ceiling of the common room of the Skull Squadron's lounge area. Commander Rick Hunter and Lieutenant Ben Dixon were sitting on two of the couches in the room and looking towards the source of the comment. In the middle of the room, Lieutenant Commander Max Sterling was something that was rarely seen by his two good friends; shaken to his very core.

"What happened, Max?" drawled Ben. "Lock your keys in your Veritech? Not like I've done something like that before or anything..."

Both Rick and Max shot Ben a look that would have put him in the same state that he was in after the Toronto incident, if not worse.

Rick was the first to say something. "Ben, don't think it's a good time for a joke on this one." He looked over towards his friend who was now shaking his head and pacing, muttering to himself about some dire consequences. _He's got the look of a man that's about to face a very painful death,_ he thought.

"You know what day it is today, Ben?"

"Of course I do, it's..." Right then and there it dawned on Ben the significance of the day and why his good friend was in a near panic. "Ohhhhhhh. To be honest, I forgot **that** was today too, pal."

"I'm sure she'll understand, Max," Rick interjected. "I mean, it's been a little hectic lately and all with the fallout from Big Ugly's Last Ride." As the reverberations of the RDF's victory over Khyron had echoed throughout the continent, the Malcontent threat had lessened quite a bit in the days following the destruction of the crazed Zentraedi leader. The three had been out on a short patrol to clean up some potential hot spots in the New Minneapolis area.

A sarcastic chuckle was all Rick got for his advice. "You do realize who we're talking about here, Rick? Something like this is bound to get me killed, or worse."

It was at this moment that a familiar figure in white decided to enter the room. Captain Lisa Hayes took in the scene in front of her and was a bit puzzled. _It was just a simple mop-up patrol that looked like it went off okay,_ she thought as she looked over the three pilots in the room.

"Was there something I didn't catch on the TacNet during that patrol?" she asked as she sat down next to Rick. "What's wrong, Max? You look even more nervous than you did when Dana was born."

"Hi Lisa, it's probably the last time you'll see me. I'm pretty much a dead man when I get home," Max stated darkly. "Guess that means you're getting that promotion after all, Ben."

"Hey, not like this!"

Lisa looked over at Rick with a puzzled expression. She leaned in and whispered, "What the hell is he going on about?"

Rick gave Lisa a sad look. "Poor guy forgot his wedding anniversary was today."

Lisa could only shake her head. "Yep, he's done for." She looked over at Max. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Do you have a blindfold and a cigarette?"

Ben did his best to lighten the mood. "Max, Nibs and I are your ride home tonight. I can ask her to go the extra long way home if you want."

Rick and Lisa found themselves shaking their heads. Max turned towards his friend and had a frown on his face.

"It'll just make it worse, ya know. Kinda putting off the inevitable."

The fourth member of the patrol, Sergeant Amelia Niebauer, had finally emerged from the locker area. Looking over at Max and the concerned look on the faces of the others gave her some pause. "Did I miss something?"

"Max committed one of the classic blunders," Lisa stated plainly.

"And we don't mean he started a land war in Asia either," Rick added. "More like he kinda forgot a pretty important event."

"Mir's birthday?"

"No, wedding anniversary," Lisa answered.

Amelia nodded and then smacked her hand against her head. "Jeez, Max. That's not good." She sat down next to Ben. "So, how do we save Max from a fate worse than death?"

Lisa looked at the clock in the room. "She's probably asleep by now, seeing she had Dana all day."

Rick also took note of the time. "Doubt anything's still open off base and the PX closed a while ago."

Ben shook his head as he processed everything. "Well, this could be the ultimate 'get your popcorn ready' situation the Skulls have ever faced."

The comment earned Ben a smack on the back of the head from the brunette sitting next to him. "Sheesh, another popcorn joke? Maybe Mir is right about the poor timing on the jokes, ya big lug."

"Ow, that kinda hurt, hon."

"The smack or the observation?"

"Haven't decided yet."

Amelia smiled and gave Ben a peck on the cheek. "There, happy now?" The smile back from Ben spoke volumes. "So, these popcorn jokes. What's the deal with them? I've been in Skull for a while now and nobody's ever explained it to me."

Max turned and smiled. "Ben, Rick, Lisa, I think it may be a good time to enlighten the poor child about the popcorn references. Besides, it's a good story and at least it'll make my last little bit of time in this plane of existence a little more bearable."

"Oh stop, Max," Rick said. "She's not going to kill you...at least I'm kinda confident...or hopeful." Turning towards Lisa and nodding, Rick continued on. "OK, might as well tell this tale. It all started..."

* * *

 _Four Months Earlier..._

The day dawned bright and clear and with a slight hint of crispness that was indicative that fall was finally on its way towards New Macross. On one of the side streets near Macross Command, a lone figure exited a house carrying a large bag and a hockey stick. _No better way to start the day,_ Rick thought to himself as he made his way to the car. _Got the day off and meeting up with Lisa later today_ , he thought as he loaded the heavy bag and stick into the back compartment. _Might as well go over to the Rec Center and shoot a few pucks. Nothing takes the edge off of a rough patrol like launching a few slap shots into the net._ Rick hopped in and took the well-memorized route towards one of the parks in the city.

The Rec Center had a couple of rinks in the complex. For the most part, they were very simple with a few rows of bleachers and a roof over the actual ice itself. The routine was something Rick had been doing for quite a while, even when the city was housed in the SDF-1. It was common knowledge among his friends that you could usually find him in one of three places on an off-day; his quarters, the hangar area, or the Rec Center rinks.

Stepping out on to the ice, he pushed forward on the skates and began to glide around the ice effortlessly. He took note of a group nearby and smiled. _Good to see some of the kids here getting out on the ice,_ he thought. On the end of the stick he was carrying, there was a puck gliding along with him on the ice. Rick began to pick up some speed and moving the stick back and forth as he made his way from the center circle towards the blue line. Hitting the blue line at nearly full speed, he reared back with the stick and followed through. The blade of the stick connected with the puck with a satisfying _smack_ as it hurtled towards the goal. _Top shelf, where mama keeps the cookies,_ he thought as he followed the path of the puck into the empty net. Turning towards the net, he fished the puck out of the bluish colored area inside of the net and circled back towards the middle of the rink. He followed the same routine of skating in, firing, and getting the puck back.

The group on the other side of the ice noticed the performance Rick was putting on and turned to watch. The taller man in the group decided to skate over towards him as he was heading back after another dead-on shot on goal.

Rick noticed who it was that was skating over. _Yeah, figured it was Rodgers._ Stopping quick, Rick nodded.

"Hey Danny! Working with the kids again?"

Rodgers smiled. "Yeah. Might as well give something back and all. I do this every Saturday when the rinks are open."

"Yeah, you mentioned that the last time you worked on my laptop."

"Figured you for a hockey fan given your background on your lappy. Did my homework"

"Yeah, I played a little in high school."

"Enough to get drafted!"

"It was the 5th Round. GM did it as a favor to my old coach. Besides, San Jose was stacked that year. Went to the Finals and all."

What wasn't common knowledge among his friends was that his hockey prowess in high school had earned Rick some attention. His high school coach had been boyhood friends with a GM of an NHL team, which happened to be a team Rick followed as a youngster, the San Jose Sharks. As a lark, the GM used a spare pick on Rick in the annual entry draft two years before he arrived at Macross. _Pops always wanted me to go that route,_ Rick thought. _Fate just had other ideas_. He had fully intended on going to camp with the team that fall, but Pops died shortly before camp opened. Opting to keep the family tradition going, Rick instead took over the Flying Circus and never signed a contract. _There were some times I regretted not going, but I think it did turn out for the best for a few good reasons._

Danny looked back over at the group of kids circled around one of the face-off circles on the other side. "Got an idea, Rick. Mind helping me out today? I mean, I'm not horrible out there, but you make me look like I've never played before. Besides, you're a pretty well known fighter jock. Couldn't hurt."

Rick looked at the scoreboard clock, which had the current time showing. "Shouldn't be a problem. I just have to be out of here by 1400. Have some plans later and I don't want to have rink stink all over me."

"Totally understood. We usually call it a day by then anyways."

With that, Rick skated back over to the group of kids with Danny.

* * *

"Are you sure of this?"

The aide in the room gulped as he adjusted his papers. "We're very confident, Colonel. Reports on the ground saw some Em Zee activity going on in the vicinity of New Oakland at about 0600 this morning. Didn't look like much, but that command pod leading the charge did have Khyron's distinctive markings."

Colonel Anatole Leonard smiled. _About time things broke our way. It's a golden chance to eliminate the bastard once and for all._ Looking back at the aide, a feral grin came across the older man's face. "Well, time's wasting, Sergeant! Scramble the Skulls!"

"Sir, the Skulls are off duty this rotation."

"Not as of now."

"Admiral Gloval insisted they be given down time."

"And where is the Admiral right now?"

"Monument, sir."

"And Hayes?"

"Captain Hayes has this weekend off. Planned leave."

Leonard stood up. "So, if Admiral Gloval is off base and Captain Hayes is on leave, who does that leave in charge here?"

"You, sir?"

"Now you're catching on," the Colonel responded with a scowl. "Get the Skulls off their asses and here on the double!"

"Sir! You've forgotten that Second Lieutenant Stirling is on maternity leave. That rules her out. Lieutenant Commander Stirling is on patrol already over New Hamilton. And Commander Hunter is off rotation this weekend. That means Skull is technically in the hands of Lieutenant Dixon, and he's working with their new pilots in the sims."

An audible sound of disgust came from the direction of Leonard.

"Well, tell Commander Hunter his rotation is back on. And Dixon can leave the younglings with one of the other instructors. They're both back on. Go get them. NOW!"

The flustered aide shot a quick salute and moved towards the door quickly. Leonard sat back down at his desk and fished out a cigarette from his front pocket. Lighting up and taking a long drag, he smiled. _Henry's been way too lax around here. That changes today._

* * *

At the Rec Center, Rick and Danny were going over some of the fundamentals of the game with the assembly of youngsters. As they were demonstrating the fine art of the one-timer shot, Rick noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Paying it no mind for the present, he reared back and uncorked a hard shot as Danny slid the puck to him. The puck shot towards the net, clipping the post and rebounding in with a satisfying _ping_. It was then that Rick turned towards what he had caught just before shooting.

Skating towards the bench, he saw Lieutenant Kim Young standing nearby. _By the look on her face, she'd rather be anywhere else but here,_ Rick thought as he skated over.

"Aren't you on duty today?"

"Yeah, and I'm also something else. Your driver back to base."

"Um, I'm not on rotation this weekend and the Skulls are off-line on the Admiral's orders."

"Colonel Leonard thinks otherwise. He wants you on base ASAP. Something's come up."

Rick looked to the heavens and sighed. _Figures with the Admiral out of town and Lisa off, the Ol' Meatgrinder would throw his weight around._

"What if I said no? I can kind of do that seeing I'm CAG."

"He figured on that. He told me to tell you that the next messengers would be MP's and you would be explaining to Sammie and Vanessa why I was stationed in New Little Rock. Rick, I know this is awful timing, but.."

Rick cut Kim off quickly. _Yeah, Leonard is definitely being an ass about things. Feel bad for Kim getting volun-told to do this._

"Yeah, I get how this song and dance goes. Give me about ten minutes to get changed. I can grab a quick shower on base. And I'm not mad at you, Kim. You're just the messenger."

Rick motioned over to Danny as Kim made her way towards the exit.

"Didn't want to say it front of the kids, but I gotta split. Command called me in. More like Leonard insisted I come in."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Typical. Well, thanks for the help on this today. The kids had a blast. Let me know if you want to do this again sometime."

"Will do."

* * *

As the car made its way down the streets towards Macross Command, Kim had done the second thing she hadn't planned on that day. _It may be a bit cold out, but I have to drive with the windows open, otherwise I'd pass out. Never saw what 'Ness saw in hockey players._

"Sorry for the stink, Kim," Rick said apologetically. "Wasn't exactly planning on a forced trip back to base on my day off. So what exactly got Leonard's undies in a full on timber hitch?"

"Something about some Zent activity near New Oakland. Word was it may have been Khyron's command pod involved."

"Great. So he calls me back for a rumor?"

Kim nodded. "The bridge is pretty tense this weekend with him running the show. And he didn't want Ben running the op and insisted on you."

That characterization from Leonard had Rick bristling even more. _Yeah, Ben's reckless as hell sometimes, but I'd trust him to run a simple patrol. But, the Meatgrinder's an idiot. No wonder his brigades had a higher than average casualty rate. He makes Ben look like Max in that regard._

"Hang on for a second. Need to make a quick phone call." Rick grabbed his phone out of his pocket and punched in a well rehearsed number. He sat in the seat waiting for an expected pick up. That never came as the call quickly went to voice mail.

"Hey Lisa, it's Rick. I know we had plans later, but Colonel Leonard happened. I'm actually on my way back to base. Just wanted to say I'm sorry and I'll make it up to you. Talk to you later."

Kim looked over at her passenger. "Didn't know you and the Captain were a thing?"

"Not exactly. We're just good friends."

"Suuuuure."

* * *

 _Present Day_

"So, there I was, heading back to base on Colonel Leonard's orders," Rick stated. "Meanwhile, I had tried to call Lisa on her house line and didn't get a thing. I even checked the phone and made sure I had a signal. Kim was able to vouch for that. Long story short, someone decided to crash their car on one of the streets nearby and took out the phone lines for about ten blocks for a good chunk of the day. Lisa's house was one of those unlucky ones."

Rick had his arm around Lisa on the couch they were sitting on. On the couch nearby, Amelia had leaned up next to Ben, listening to the story intently. Max had settled down enough to grab a chair and was sitting with the back facing the front.

"So what happened with the patrol?" Amelia looked over at Ben.

"Well, hon," Ben drawled. "It turned out to be a fifteen hour long game of grab-ass. A fat lot of nothing. Leonard was irate that there was nothing there in New Oakland. He had us expand our search farther and farther out. How far into California did we get?"

"I think we ended up flying over New San Diego at one point and as far north as New Seattle," Rick added. "And as Ben said, we came up empty handed."

"At this point, I had no idea what was going on," Lisa stated. "I had shown up at his house and didn't see the car there. So, I walked back home and ended up watching a bad movie before falling asleep on the couch. Thought about calling him on his cell, but seeing the phones were knocked out, I didn't bother. Naturally, I was on the next day and was not exactly in a good mood."

* * *

 _Four Months Earlier..._

 _Of all the fighter jocks in the world I have to fall for, I fall for the one that has no effing clue how to use a damn phone,_ Lisa thought to herself as she made her way towards the TacNet station on the bridge. As she walked to her station, the look on her face spoke volumes. A massive frown dominated her face.

"Crap, Commander Hunter is going to get torn a new one today," Kim whispered over to Vanessa.

"Didn't she get his message? You told me you heard him call."

"Evidently not."

"Guessing there's trouble in paradise?" Sammie added. It was no secret that she and Vanessa both thought Rick Hunter wasn't hard on the eyes. The news that Rick was also a hockey player saw his stock rise in Vanessa's view.

A loud "Ahem!" broke up the Trio's take on the latest events of the ongoing soap opera that was Hayes v. Hunter. A withering look from Lisa spoke volumes to the three. _Not a really good day to get on my bad side, girls._ Not wanting to press the issue further, the three scattered back to their posts without as much as a peep.

Standing next to Lisa in her usual position on the bridge was Claudia. She had immediately noticed the not overly pleased look on her friend's face as she had walked in. The fact she had slammed her purse down on her seat with a little added force confirmed the worst.

"Do I even have to ask, Lisa?"

"No. You don't. Let's just say if his face is the first thing I see on this damn screen, it's going to get ugly real quick."

 _Well, I see how today is going to go,_ Claudia thought. _She has no idea Rick was one of the pilots that got scrambled yesterday. Thankfully, the Admiral found out and pulled the plug on that wild goose chase._

It was just then that the red light on the TacNet screen started blinking. Claudia took a deep breath and awaited what was about to happen with a sense of dread.

Lisa tapped the button to activate the screen and recited without looking, "This is Macross Command. Go ahead."

She peered down and saw the one thing she had not wanted to see. Namely, the vision of one Commander Rick Hunter.

"Command, this is Stomper Flight. We've searched all over what's left of California and the Pacific Coast for Khyron. No signs of Big Ugly at all. Guess that was some seriously bad intel we got on this one."

The silence on the bridge was deafening. Claudia noticed that Lisa had tensed up considerably and had balled her hands into fists. Her eyes flared a sharp green as she looked down.

* * *

"Command, this is Stomper Flight. Do we have clearance to come home or should we start searching all of North America quadrant by quadrant?"

Rick was starting to get annoyed at the lack of response from Lisa. However, what had him on guard was the look on her face as she saw the TacNet screen in front of her.

 _Holy crap! If she could reach through that screen and strangle me, she probably would,_ he thought. _It's like she..._

Immediately it dawned on him.

 _Of all the messed up things. She never got my message!_

"Stomper Lead, you can walk home as far as I'm concerned. But yes, cleared to return to base."

"Excuse me?"

"Hmph. Can't wait to see what BS is in this AAR, mister."

"Take it up with Leonard. We were chasing one of his mystical Khyron sightings his intel had. And I'm advising we go to another damn channel if you want to ream my ass out about something."

"At least you remembered to call Command."

"That is not fair and you know it. Ask Kim. She saw me call!"

"Really? And why were you hanging out with her?"

"Because Leonard volun-told her to get me on base ASAP yesterday. Did you even check your messages?"

"I never got a call, you ass!"

* * *

At this point, Ben had been sitting back watching, but the moment came to him.

"Get yo' popcorn ready, folks! This may be the big one!"

Rick and Lisa both shouted over the TacNet in unison, "SHUT UP BEN!"

Ben wisely decided that was time to hit the mute button on his pick up and kept flying.

* * *

Back on the bridge, Lisa looked down at the TacNet at the source of her vexation and snarled. _If you want to play games with my emotions, Hunter. It will not end well, I guaran-damn-tee you._

She took a deep breath before continuing on after Ben's interruption.

"Of all the stupid, idiotic, careless, and thoughtless things you've done over the past few years, this one takes the cake, Commander. This one hurt a lot more than you'll ever know."

The screen of the TacNet showed a rather stunned and shocked Rick Hunter. _She's being damn irrational about this. I heard the damn voice mail pick up. And if we're gonna play it by titles, fine by me, Sourpuss._

"You never answered my question, _Captain,_ " he added with an extra bit of venom on the last word. "Did you check your messages?"

"Of course I did," Lisa spat back. She went into her purse and pulled out her phone and turned it on. "See? Nothing there, Einstein."

Rick looked for a second and noticed something. _Really? Of all the stupid things..._

"Check it again, genius! That's your iPod!"

She looked at the device in her hand and blinked. Rick had been correct. It **was** her iPod. Next to her, Lisa could hear Claudia smacking her palm across her forehead in utter exasperation at the situation. Over in their corner, the Trio were watching the whole scene with their jaws dropped.

Rick was the next one to talk on the TacNet, albeit in a very terse tone. "Command, Stomper Flight signing off. We'll be in touch when we're twenty klicks from home." With that the screen went dead.

Lisa turned towards Claudia with a horrified look on her face. _Oh my God. What the hell have I done? I just blew it with Rick big time._ She gathered herself together the best she could to go ahead with the next order.

"Sammie, you have the TacNet. You'll be bringing Commander Hunter and Lieutenant Dixon in. I'm going back to my office."

With that, Lisa spun around and walked off the bridge, picking up the pace as she did not want her friends on the bridge to watch her completely lose whatever composure she had left.

* * *

 _Present Day..._

"I went right back to my office in tears, thinking I had just ruined whatever chance I had with this guy," Lisa said, adding a playful nudge to Rick's side. "When I got into the office, I saw what had happened. The day before, I had left the office in a hurry due to something that had cropped up and _thought_ I had grabbed my cellphone, but had grabbed my iPod instead. The phone was sitting on my desk, on its charger."

She sighed before continuing.

"When I got on the phone, the first thing I saw there was a notice about a voicemail. I checked it and Rick was correct. He did leave a message and I could hear Kim in the background. That day was not one of my proudest moments."

Amelia looked over at Lisa. "So, what happened after that?"

Lisa sighed again. "Well, I kind of steered clear of Rick for a few days after that, not knowing what was going to happen next or dreading what would happen. I also traded in my iPhone for something that didn't resemble my iPod. Never wanted to make that mistake again."

"The manifests and duty schedules were set in a way that we weren't on the same shifts for about two weeks after that," Rick added. "At first, I thought it was intentional. At least until somebody showed up in my office one afternoon."

* * *

 _Four Months Prior..._

Rick was sitting at his desk in his office reviewing some paperwork about one of the newer pilots in the squadron. _Not even his first flight and Baker's already causing a ruckus,_ he thought. _Wonder if Lisa chewed him out for that little stunt. Then again, if I even as much as breathed around her these days, she'd probably go off on me._ Rick sighed as he reviewed the report. _Could use her insights on this kind of thing. Seems kinda odd and empty without her coming around._

He casually turned on his MP3 player and sat back in his chair, propping his feet up on the desk and looking towards the ceiling.

 _Face it, pal. She's not gonna come back around anytime soon. Not after the way you made her look ridiculous on the TacNet. Public humiliation is never a good thing to keeping a friendship intact._

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"It's open!"

"Just the person I wanted to see," Claudia stated as she entered. Rick straightened up at his desk and smiled.

"Been a while, Big Sis. I'm guessing this isn't a social call?"

Claudia nodded. "You probably know where I stopped over before coming here."

Rick nodded, albeit sadly. "Yeah."

"She's pretty down too, Rick. More that she's beating herself up over what happened."

"I've tried to put it out of my mind more than anything. I'm not pissed at her, not by any stretch. It was pretty much a chain reaction of things that snowballed. I'm more pissed at your boss for pulling his little power play. I was over the spat pretty quickly."

"He's an ass, Rick. Gloval reamed him out for calling you in like that."

"I heard. Not feeling sorry for the Ol' Meatgrinder at all."

"As for Lisa, she might want to hear that you're not mad at her."

"Not like I haven't tried. Our schedules the past two weeks haven't put us in contact with one another. It's been a case of she's leaving her place when I'm getting back and she's been off or in a meeting or something else when I've left and come back on patrol. It's almost like she's avoiding me for some reason. That's what's bothering me."

Another voice came from the background. "Well, I was for a few days after that."

Both Claudia and Rick were stunned to see Lisa standing in the doorway.

"Claudia, I had a feeling you were heading over here after you swung by. So, naturally, I followed."

Rick smiled. "More like you were kinda nosy and wanted to know where you stood."

"That too."

Claudia stood up and looked at her two friends. "I think this is my cue to leave," she said as she left the office. Once the door shut, Rick looked over at Lisa and stood up from the desk.

"Look, Lisa. If you think I was mad at you..."

"I heard, Rick. It just was a perfect storm of chances that got out of control." She sighed and looked over at Rick. "I just wanted to say that I was out of line and I apologize for tearing into you like that."

"And I apologize for making you look that foolish in front of the bridge. Also, I was a bit out of line sassing a superior officer back like I did."

Lisa raised an eyebrow. "A bit?"

"Okay, okay. A lot."

Lisa looked down at the ground, twisting one of her shoes into the carpet a bit. "So, where do we go from here?"

"How about we just chuck this little incident off to the side and start fresh? I'll try not to be as much of a pain in the ass on the TacNet in the future."

Lisa lit up a bit at this. "Sounds like it's something I can work with. Also, I'll try not to avoid you as much, even if you do piss me off at times, mister."

"That works for me as well," Rick said with a smile. He extended a hand. "Still friends?"

Lisa ignored his hand and instead hugged Rick. "Still friends. And thank you."

* * *

 _Present Day..._

The group of RDF officers that had assembled for the impromptu story went their separate ways shortly after the conclusion. Rick and Lisa made their way back to Rick's house for the night, while Amelia and Ben dropped a less-terrified Max off at his house before heading to Ben's apartment.

As they prepared to head off to sleep for the night, Amelia looked over at Ben and smiled.

"So, that was a pretty interesting story. And the only thing you contributed was a now-overused catchphrase. How does it feel to be a real life meme, hon?"

Ben looked over at the brunette with a mock frown. "You wound me, woman. Still, you have to admit it was pretty epic."

"True. And, don't worry about me avoiding you if something like that happened. I don't think I'd be avoiding you. More like hunting."

"I don't know if I should be honored or very afraid."

"Probably a little of both. But I also know you wouldn't hurt me intentionally."

"Very true, hon. You have my word on that."

Amelia drew in closer and kissed Ben before falling asleep in his arms.

* * *

Rick and Lisa looked over at each other as they prepared to fall asleep.

"Definitely not one of our prouder moments, Forever Girl," Rick stated. "But there was a pretty solid silver lining on that cloud of awful."

"Really? How's that? Well, other than you actually got the better of me in one of these arguments," Lisa added with a wink.

"Ha ha," came the retort from Rick, punctuated with him sticking his tongue out at her. "Maybe that was the first wakeup call I had as to what I had in front of me. New Detroit just cemented it. From there, it was just a matter of time, or Khyron and Minmei actually behaving for more than five minutes that was going to seal the deal."

Lisa thought about it for a second. "Can't say I disagree. And you've kept your end of the bargain on the TacNet."

"Helps that Baker kind of took over my PITA title there." Rick looked over at Lisa and smiled. "The thing that scared the crap out of me was that I thought that this was the Big One. That one fight that was just going to ruin everything. And a future without you there was something I didn't want to lose."

Lisa nodded, "I was feeling the same way. Even more so. I didn't want to face it if it was."

Rick drew Lisa in closer. "That makes two of us. Have to admit it, it did have a good outcome in the end."

"That it did, Flyboy. That it did."

* * *

Max made his way into the bedroom and saw Miriya was sound asleep as he came in. Quietly, he changed for bed and hopped under the covers. As he did, Miriya stirred a bit and saw that she was no longer alone.

"Maximillian, when did you get back?"

"Oh, probably about twenty minutes ago. Had a nice long talk with Rick, Lisa, Amelia, and Ben. We finally let Amelia know about the popcorn joke."

"That joke that Dixon never tires of?"

"Yes, dear. That one."

"Maybe Amelia will get him to stop with that. Either that or give him better material."

Max shifted a bit and sighed before continuing.

"Mir, I do have to apologize for something. In the confusion of the past few weeks, I completely forgot that today was our wedding anniversary. I'm sorry for forgetting."

Silence filled the room. Max gulped as he awaited the expected maelstrom for forgetting this important milestone.

To say Max was shocked when Miriya instead of attempting to strangle him, hugged him tightly.

"Do not worry about it, Maximillian. I forgot as well. I was thinking of what I could say or do to make that up to you."

A smile came across Max's face. "Mir, just being my wife is reward enough. Spending the rest of my life with you is the best gift I could ever get."

"You are wise, Maximillian. That is exactly how I feel."

She leaned over and kissed Max before reverting to her earlier position on the bed.

"But, you should probably get me something. We're both off tomorrow and my alarm is set for 0800. We'll be going to Carpaccio's downtown. Bring your payment card."

Max sighed. _A little extra on the card this month won't hurt._

* * *

Above the expanses of New Macross, two familiar figures looked down at the now sleeping forms of their good friends and their significant others.

"Ya know, babe," Roy Fokker drawled. "I kinda thought Rick was toast a few times with Lisa, but that one incident was probably the closest they came to going off the rails completely. Glad he shared that with Sterling and Dixon. Have to admit, Dixon's girl and I would have gotten along well."

Claudia nodded. "You and Amelia would have hit it off immediately. As for Lisa, she was kicking herself pretty good that day. However, I think your little brother grew up a lot that day too."

"That he did. He finally realized what was there. Even if he kept denying it like the doof he can be."

"Now they're on their way towards being together forever."

"Well, hopefully we don't see those two for quite a while. C'mon, Beautiful. Time to head on back."

Claudia sighed as she saw Rick and Lisa curled up with each other. "You two found happiness. Hold on to it and never let it go."

The two figures above faded into the mists of the night.


End file.
